Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine TIPS FOR ORGANIZING YOUR COMPUTER AND ONLINE ACCOUNTS IT STARTS WITH YOUR DESKTOP Many individuals keep their desktop and folders in such a mess that they often end up mislaying important files, or worse, accidentally deleting folders thinking that their contents were safely stored elsewhere. While you can also download third-party applications to help keep your computer organized, there really is not any need, if you remain on top and get into the habit of staying organized. Once you have spent a time clearing up your digital filing cabinet, you will find it much easier to maintain it in the future. Consider the following tips to organizing your computer. Uninstall unwanted applications. Getting rid of programs that you no longer use will free up space on your hard disk and improve your computer’s performance. There will be less drain on system resources, less programs automatically starting up when you log into Windows, and less clutter on your desktop and start menu. You may also want to try disabling start-up programs. Organize your files and folders in the Documents folder for your user account. This way, everything is kept safely in your own account folder away from other users and locations where you can more easily lose them. Rather than having items such as documents and pictures clutter up your desktop, place them into the default folders in your user account folder. Get rid of junk files to free up space on your computer and improve performance. Windows includes the Disk Clean-up utility to take care of this for you. You can access it by right-clicking on your primary hard disk drive in the Computer folder and clicking “Properties.” Try better organizing your start menu. Categorizing your applications by dropping their shortcuts into custom folders will make it much easier to find what you need. You may also want to consolidate all your shortcuts. ORGANIZING YOUR ONLINE ACCOUNTS Today, the average internet user has one or more email accounts, several social media accounts, and a plethora of other online accounts from internet banking to online shopping, forums and more. Keeping track of all your login details, as well as all the information that you have stored online, is essential for the sake of both organization and security. If you use multiple email addresses, try consolidating them by using the Windows Mail application or Outlook. Alternatively, you can use a completely Web-based service such as Gmail. Gmail offers several gigabytes of free storage space, allows you to consolidate email accounts, create and label custom folders, and use a powerful search function. Close down accounts that you no longer use. This is better for security, since there is no point in keeping accounts and storing data online if you do not need it anymore. If there is an email account or social networking account that you have not used in months, it may be time to close it down and remove any data stored with it. Filter important news items using RSS feeds. RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds allow you to receive new updates from all the blogs, social networks and other online services you use in a single location. One of the world’s most popular RSS aggregators is Google Reader. It is also available for free. Make a note of any login data and passwords that you use and keep them safely stored in a secure location. Having different passwords for different accounts is a good habit to get into for the sake of security. With these tips, you can ensure that your computer, online accounts and social networking security remain up-to-date. Additionally, decluttering your computer’s resources is an ideal way of starting with a clean slate. With spring around the corner, this is the perfect time to get your technological needs organized. Living in a time where many of us have very tech-focused lives, keeping your digital world organized is often as important as keeping any other aspect of your life organized. If you are heavily reliant on your computer and the internet for work or study, it is even more important to get into good organizational habits. Despite this fact, many keep their online accounts and computers in a state of disarray, often losing important data, forgetting passwords, falling victim to hackers or mislaying work. The following tips will help you to train yourself to better keep track of your digital life.
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